Page 36 of His to Burn

But I couldn’t deny it.

Asia broke eye contact, and I knew she felt something in that moment, too. She smiled again, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I doubt I could sleep, anyway,” she said, her words trailing off into a yawn.

She giggled, the sound sweet and shy, and Ifelt like I was seeing a side of her that didn’t come out often.

“Guess that just made a liar out of me,” she said.

“Go to sleep,” I said firmly.

Asia nodded, and then lay on the couch. She shifted, trying to get as comfortable as one could on that mass-produced industrial furniture. Her gaze kept drifting to the door, and the third time I saw it, I caught her eye.

“I’ve got you covered, Counselor. Now go to sleep.”

She smiled, her eyes still locked on mine. “I’ll try, Jackson,” she said sleepily, and at the sound of her drowsy-sounding voice, my heart did a little flip that I simultaneously despised and craved more of.

Asia drifted off, and I was left alone with my thoughts.

I kept an eye on the video monitors, feeling hopeful when the crowd of those things thinned.

I knew it was cold comfort, though.

We might make it to the garage…

We.

Asia and I were not a “we.”

But I rejected the thought almost as soon as I formed it.

I had to get back to Evan.

He needed me.

But I wouldn’t leave Asia to some gruesome fate.

Couldn’t do that.

So the matter was settled.

I’d see that Asia got somewhere safe, and then go to Evan with conscience clean.

But how?

Martial law was bad, but that wasn’t what worried me.

I’d seen no evidence of any response, and before I came to the city, I hadn’t heard anything, either.

I was connected enough that I would have heard about trouble as big as this. This damn virus was probably fucking things up. It was the only reason I was here instead of with Evan in the first place.

But my regrets didn’t matter right now. What mattered was what came next.

Weapons.

Transportation.

Water.

Food.